By
Alex Smith |
Stena Line is to deploy its two new 240-metre-long E-Flexer ferries on its route between Nynasamn in Sweden and Ventspils in Latvia in 2022.
The ferries will have capacity for 1,200 passengers, an increase of 33 per cent compared to existing ferries on the route. They will also be up to 30 per cent more energy efficient than the existing vessels and are designed to allow conversion to methanol or LNG fuel in the future. The new vessels are equipped to use shore power during port calls, and the electricity connection will also enable a conversion to battery hybrid.
The E-Flexer ferries are designed in collaboration with Stena RoRo and are currently being built at the CMI Jinling Shipyard in Weihai, China, with delivery expected in 2022.
Stena Line also announced its plans to deploy two 222-metre ro-pax ferries, Stena Scandica and Stena Baltica, on the route between Karlskrona, Sweden and Gdynia, Poland. The two vessels have recently been lengthened and modernised, and will introduce a new onboard experience for both drivers and passengers on the route
“We continue growing together with our customers by strengthen our position and fleet across the Baltic Sea,” said Niclas Mårtensson, CEO of Stena Line Group. “Demand for capacity in the region keeps increasing as freight customers continue to expand and travel passengers choose ferry travel as their preferred safe form of transport in the wake of the pandemic. These large, modern, and fuel-efficient next generation ferries are the flag ships in the modernisation of our fleet as well as our development of sustainable shipping.”